This invention relates to a removable garment that contains weights which fit around an athletic or conventional shoe and allows for total unrestricted mobility for use in exercise, training and/or therapy.
There are a number of weight devices for exercising that can be connected to a leg or attached to a shoe or foot and used principally for the purpose of improving strength in this are ankle cuff weights which are used by some runners and power walkers and do allow for unrestricted mobility of the limb. However, they usually cannot be sufficiently secured to the ankle to avoid some movement while running, jumping or walking. The movement of the cuff weights while engaged in such activities often results in skin irritations as well as other potential injuries. U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,056 to Ronca addresses this issue by firmly securing a weight apparatus to the lower leg proximal to the ankle. The fact that both of these weight devices are located at the ankle or proximal to it precludes their capability of strengthening the lower leg muscles whose tendons insert on the foot and/or toes. In addition both of these devices are likely to be perceived as unnatural encumbrances around the lower limbs of their users.
In regard to prior art there are four weight devices that can be attached to a shoe and one weighted shoe that allows for unrestricted mobility of the foot and limb while performing aerobic exercises including activities such as running and/or walking. They are U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,982 to McGowan, G.B. patent 2139103 to Rogers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,432 to Stempski, U.S. Pat. No. 757,983 to Vaile and FR patent 2,535,211 to Deschamps.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,982 allows for weight adjustments and easy attachment on and off a shoe. One disadvantage of this device is that it does necessitate alteration of the shoe by requiring snaps to be permanently attached to the shoe so that weights can be secured to it. Another disadvantage is that the weights with this device are confined to just the lateral side of the shoe. This results in an imbalance of the weight distribution requiring excess effort on the part of the peroneus longus and brevis muscles which turn the foot out. It offers no resistance to the tibialis posterior which turns the foot in and little resistance to the tibialis anterior which raises the foot up nor does it provide resistance to the extensor digitorum longus, brevis and extensor hallicus longus all of which elevate the toes. This imbalance in strengthening primarily the peroneus longus and brevis muscles that turn the foot out could contribute to the development of a flat foot.
Though, G.B. patent 2,139,103 obviates this imbalance problem it limits the weight distribution to just two locations, one on the lateral side of the shoe and the other on the medial side. Rather than snaps, the weights with this device are secured to the shoe with laces and a strap. In addition to the disadvantage of having only two sites for weight distribution there is another disadvantage of this device that relates to the use of laces. In order to secure this device to a shoe and then remove it from the shoe a rather time consuming and tedious lacing and unlacing process is necessary since both the weighted device as well as the shoe have to be laced and unlaced together.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,432 does accommodate weights at the toe, heel and sides but it requires that the pockets be permanently attached to a runners athletic shoe. Since the toe pocket is confined to just the outer edges of the toe section of the shoe the amount of weight that it can hold is severely restricted. The total weight that can be added to this runners shoe is limited to only 10 to 12 ounces.
U.S. Pat. No. 757,983 reveals a weighted overshoe (FIG. 4) comprising a Cap F which includes sole portion and a strap f which fits around the heel. Here only a single weight over the toe can be accommodated and a metallic cap precludes its use with present day athletic shoes containing cleats or spikes.
Fr patent 2,535,211 is a weighted overshoe that can be attached to a foot or shoe. The weights are cylindrical in shape and are confined to the medial and lateral sides and lie horizontal while the remainder lie vertical and are located over the medial and lateral sides of the ankle. The former would appear to restrict movement of the ankle invertors and evertors while the overshoe itself may limit complete dorsiflexion of the foot. Though this device may be compatible with running and walking it appears to be more suitable for static exercise strengthening of the muscles proximal to the lower leg such as the quadriceps and hamstrings.
It is a recognized fact that the more distal from the joint center that a weight is placed the greater the work load or resistance will be in moving the respective limb segment through its range. Weights located more distal on a limb, i.e. the foot, than weights of equal density and mass located more proximal on the lower leg or thigh will necessitate greater muscular effort and in so doing enhance the users strengthening and conditioning regimen. Consequently, a need exists for taking advantage of this principal in which weights can be secured to the most distal parts of an appendage such as the foot and particularly the toe portion of the foot without restricting mobility of any of the joints of the limb and especially the toe joints. U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,432 does partially meet this need but at the expense of permanently altering a runners athletic shoe. It would be advantageous to have a device with a toe weight that covers most if not all of the toe area extending from the distal toe tip proximal to the metatarsal phalangeal joint line and at the same time accommodate weights varying from several ounces to several pounds or greater without altering the integrity of the shoe to which it is attached. In addition, a device that is easy to make and very inexpensive yet interchangeable with a variety of athletic shoes such as track, football, baseball, basketball etc. would certainly be cost effective for those engaged in multiple athletic pursuits.
The present invention fulfills the needs present in the prior art by providing a unique weight device as defined in the following description and claims.